Why Do You Serve?

The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of men [Note: this means all people, not just males. —JL]. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world.” —The Acts of the Apostles, p. 9

In this space over past weeks, I’ve lauded your efforts as a church body with regard to service, and let me be clear, I have no intention of recanting those statements! I appreciate your service —your church appreciates your service. What I’d like to do, however, is give you something additional to think about while serving. Simply pause and consider the quote above from Mrs. White, then ask yourself this question:

[box type=”shadow”]How does my service as a _______________ help to fulfill Spencerville Church’s mission objective of carrying the gospel to the world?[/box]

Let me be clear, I’m not asking this because I need to know the answer (though I’d listen if you want to share), but I do, however, want you to know the answer—for two reasons:

First, as a church, it’s important that we are always “on-mission”. We should constantly evaluate the ministries in which we serve, as well as their context, prayerfully pondering whether they’re accomplishing the intended purpose in light of the God’s mission for the church—”the salvation of men…carrying the gospel to the world.” We’re not called to serve simply to assuage our desire for social-justice, but instead to use service and social justice (as Jesus did) to bring people face to face with their need for a Savior.

The second reason comes from 1 Peter 3:15, which says that we should, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks the reason for the hope that you have.” This reason behind your service—why you’re called to serve—is part of your personal testimony, and I believe that providing a testimony is one of the most powerful things a Christian can do on this earth. People may deny the existence of God, they can try to explain away the miracles of Jesus, but they cannot strip you of your first-person account of what Jesus has done in your life. Mrs. White tells us why personal testimonies are so valuable: “As followers of Christ we should make our words such as to be a help and an encouragement to one another in the Christian life, Far more than we do, we need to speak of the precious chapters in our experience.” (Christ’s Object Lessons, 338)

Service is a powerful tool to bring people to Jesus. The reasons behind that service are also an integral part of your testimony—which should be shared. I encourage you to prayerfully consider this and ask yourself this question: why do I serve the church? God just might use your story to bring another one of his children home.